Let hormones be your guide

Some people think the key to stress-free Christmas shopping is to shop early or to set a budget, to avoid maxing out your plastic. But according to a Manhattan-based hormonologist, it's a woman's hormonal cycle. Period.

Some people think the key to stress-free Christmas shopping is to shop early or to set a budget, to avoid maxing out your plastic. But according to a Manhattan-based hormonologist, it's a woman's hormonal cycle. Period.

"Your hormones -- specifically estrogen, testosterone and progesterone -- have a powerful impact on all aspects of your shopping experience, including mood, patience, energy, stamina and how much money you'll be spending or saving," says Gabrielle Lichterman, a health journalist, founder of what she calls hormonology and a daily hormone horoscope, and author of 28 Days: What Your Cycle Reveals About Your Love Life, Moods and Potential.

Lichterman defines hormonology as "the science of predicting your day and planning your life according to your hormone cycle.

"When you know how your hormones affect you every day, you know in advance what your day will be like, so you can plan your holiday shopping trips accordingly," she says.

The basis for what Lichterman, a former Playgirl magazine managing editor, calls "practical and empowering information for both men and women" is rooted in science --200 hormonal research studies, dating back 10 years -- which she reviewed for her book. She stumbled on the research six years ago when she came across a study that found women are more attracted to masculine-looking guys on high-estrogen days of their cycle and more attracted to feminine-looking guys on low-estrogen days.

"Up to this point we'd only known that hormones affected us premenstrually, and then only our mood," she says on the phone from Manhattan. "The idea that hormones could affect us in terms of what kind of guy we were interested in, and then all cycle long, was astounding. But as astounding as it was, I had a feeling there were probably other studies just like it that just weren't getting air play, that weren't sexy enough or the researchers didn't know to put out a great press release."

Lichterman was right. She found hundreds of such studies that showed that hormones affect women in virtually every way -- how they spend money, how they feel about a relationship, how they perform at work, what foods they crave all cycle long, not just premenstrually.

Dr. Jonathan Tankel, an Edmonton obstetrician and gynecologist, hasn't seen the research, but after listening to a rundown of Lichterman's hormonal guide to holiday shopping, he says it makes sense.

"(Women's) moods unquestionably change during the premenstrual syndrome ... and it tends to affect all aspects of your life. Would it affect your mood and thus your shopping? I would presume that to be the case. We know for sure that (women's) sex drive changes, their mood changes, so this is quite possible," he says. "Most women would identify how their mood changes with natural cycles."

According to Lichterman, some days it's better to hit the mall and some days it's better to shop online, hormonally speaking, that is.

For example, in the first three days of the menstrual cycle when estrogen and testosterone levels are low, women prefer sticking close to home and familiar surroundings. Those are the days to shop at neighbourhood boutiques or mom-and-pop stores, Lichterman says.

Low estrogen makes you feel creative, so it's the perfect time to pick up craft supplies for homemade presents, jewelry, stationery and home decor.

But be careful, rising testosterone makes you more susceptible to impulse buys, she warns.

Hit the mall on Days 4 to 10, when increasing estrogen and testosterone levels give you lots of energy, endurance and optimism that put you in a good mood to better handle the crowds. Rising hormones highlight your logical left brain, Lichterman says, making you a whiz at finding bargains, which saves you money.

By Days 10 through 13, estrogen and testoserone levels are at their peak, leaving you feeling curious, adventurous, energetic and in the mood for travel. Those are the days to explore a store you've never visited before, or one that's not close to home. Unfortunately, the high hormones also make you feel overconfident about your finances, which means you could end up spending money you don't have.

Ovulation, typically between Days 14 and 22, sedates progesterone increases, sapping you of energy and endurance, which makes you tire more quickly. You'll be happiest at one-stop, department-type stores that will allow you to buy more gifts in less time, Lichterman says. Avoid anything cutesy, though, because the progesterone-high makes you a sucker for anything with babies, puppies or other cuddly creatures on it, something marketing people have known about and cashed in on for years, she says.

From Day 23 to the end of your cycle let your fingers do the shopping, online, catalogue and home shopping channels. Estrogen, testosterone and progesterone levels plunge on these premenstrual days, leaving you with little patience for jostling crowds, traffic jams and pushy salespeople, Lichterman says.

Stick to a budget for gifts for yourself, because descending hormones make you achy and blue and more likely to "medicate" with medicinal shopping for yourself, rather than buy for the loved ones on your shopping list.

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